I am looking a good deal on paper plates, plastic flatware, and paper/plastic cups for an event. I don't want the flimsy ones that break or bend when you put food on them but better quality ones for a great bulk price. Does any one know a resource for that?
I just bought a box of plastic clear cutlery from Costco. They had them on sale a while ago. They cutler are great quality and look nice since they are clear. I also picked up Chinette paper plates there too on sale. I find when we are having a lot of guests over we use paper plates but when it's a smaller number say under 10 I go with plastic plates I buy at the Dollar Store. I think I bought packs of plastic plates for $1 each and I wash and reuse them.
I buy paper plates a couple of times a year. This is one way I treat myself when I get fed up with doing the dishes. It is a treat that costs far less than a pedicure or a haircut.
I buy paper plates, paper cups and paper tumblers frequently.I use these when I am having a party or a gathering in my house. Using paper plates, cups and tumblers save you from doing the dish. You also save water,washing liquid when you use paper plates.
I think Dollar Tree would be a good resource for that. Most of their stuff is decent quality for the price, and you can probably find some plates that will fit your needs. I have a certain store where I buy stuff like that, it is a discount grocer that tends to have the best prices on most things, the trick is finding what you need.
I bought a load of plastic plates from Amazon a while back that were actually pretty good for what I needed them for. I've also noticed that dollar store type stores tend to have quite a few different designs on paper and plastic plates, bowls, cutlery and cups which I've bought a few times too. I wouldn't recommend the styrofoam ones so much if you're hoping to not break them at all as the plastic forks tend to go right through them, though.
We have had some good plastic / paper plates that did not break while being used. I also wash the plates of they are still in good condition, which I think my family thinks is crazy. No one wants to wash dishes so the plastic plates have come in handy although it does increase the amount of trash we now have.
I second Dollar Tree on paper cups, napkins and plates. You can buy a lot of those for really cheap. My local market charges around $4 for disposable plates, but the Dollar Tree only charges $1 for the same amount of plates.
I don't know where you could buy this nearby you but my recommendation is to just buy the plastic holders for paper players so you could just buy the flimsy paper plates for very cheap and it will still have support under it so it won't matter much that it's not thick or firm. We have get togethers here frequently and that's what we use and after using we simply just throw away the paper plates and keep the plastic holders again which at most just would need a light rinse.
I would suggest that you take a look at Tupperware or Corelle. They are quite light to handle and they don't seem flimsy. Corelle is quite expensive though, we were just given a set from our relatives from the US, and I was told that that particular set costs around $100.
If you really want the best plastic plates, you better be willing to spend the most amount of money for quality. My family used to buy these very thick plastic plates for the house when I was a little boy. They were reusable by many times more than the average single use plastic plates. You just have to look around, or search online for "Best plastic plates, and deals".
I always have a good stock of paper plates and paper cups that includes plastic fork and spoon. It is in anticipation of a party or some house guests. But it's also my backup when our housemaids would go on vacation - who is going to clean up the dining table, who is going to wash the dishes? During a crisis like that, me and my husband would be using the paper plate so there would be no need for washing. That's cheaper than using the dish washing soap and water plus the labor which is very valuable to us.
I've purchased some at Hobby Lobby (bring your coupon), party stores, and Dollar Tree, as well as my grocery store. Dollar Tree is good if you're looking for a variety of colors. As far as the most sturdy, I would probably say Hobby Lobby. I purchased some nice quality plastic spoons there before that I dipped with chocolate and sprinkles for the holidays, and they held up very well.
I really hate using paper plates.... I hate it even more to use plastic forks and knives. With that said, the cheapest place I could ever find them was Walmart. Maybe Costco or Sam's Club also have them, but I'm pretty sure you can find good value at Walmart.